Garbage Piles Up in Mangaluru as Pourakarmikas & other Workers are on Protest for 3 days
Mangaluru: If you are wondering why most of Mangaluru city is STINKING, and why garbage has not been picked up for the last three days- the simple reason is that the Pourakarmikas are on an indefinite strike demanding the government to solve their certain pending issues. Meanwhile, the Garbage is piling up as Pourakarmikas, Drivers, Sweepers and other labourers are still on their third day of the strike, with no settlement done between their union and the government. Some sections of sanitary workers, including drivers, loaders and underground drainage (UGD) workers, have joined the Statewide strike of outsourced and contract workers for the past three days. They are seeking direct recruitment and direct payment of salary by urban local bodies.
A few months ago, Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai had given in-principle approval for regularising Pourakarmikas who have been directly recruited but not regularised by urban local bodies across Karnataka, but nothing has been done until now. CM had said a committee will be formed to oversee the regularisation process. It will include representatives from Pourakarmikas. However, representatives of Pourakarmikas and others in the state, who are on an indefinite strike for three days, said they will continue to protest till the CM’s promises are handed to them in writing.
As per the classification, of 54,000 Pourakarmikas in urban local bodies across the state, 17,000 have been regularised as government employees, while 26,349 Pourakarmikas have been directly recruited but not made permanent on the government scale. About 16,000 of these direct recruits are working in Bengaluru. The Pourakarmika representatives were called for a meeting with Bommai to discuss the issues related to their well-being and financial concerns.
Door-to-door collection of solid waste has completely stopped with wet waste and dry waste getting accumulated in apartments and other individual houses and establishments. With the indefinite state-level protest of these workers and drivers on a contract basis entering the third day at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru, the door-to-door collection of waste has been hit in the coastal city. K Narayana Shetty, district president, Safai Karmachari Sangha, Mangaluru, speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “Several demands of the sanitation workers on contract have been pending. At the Mangaluru City Corporation, the variable dearness allowance (VDA) that was sanctioned for April and September 2022, has not been released. Also, workers on contract are not provided with breakfast, which was announced in 2017″.
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” The Rs 2,000 monthly risk allowance announced by the chief minister is not being provided. A special leave salary for 21 days is also not given to the workers. Several facilities like providing workers with gloves, gumboots, changing rooms for women, toilets and drinking water facilities have not been provided for the staff. About 111 pourakarmikas’ jobs were made permanent in October 2022. There are about 800 workers on contract in Mangaluru. Last year, from July 1 to 4 a protest was held and the government asked for three months to look into our demands. With elections round the corner, the workers are hoping that their demands will be met” added Shetty. 
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Prakash Kurup- In-Charge at Antony Waste Handling Cell said, ” Even though our company is privately based, and our employees are not connected with the state Pourakarmikas union, they were pressurized by the union leaders to support their strike, and therefore they have joined the strike abstaining from work. Until today, there has been no settlement between the government and the union, chances are that garbage won’t be picked up until a settlement is done by the protesters with the government. However, we are trying to sort out with MCC how we can clear all the garbage that has piled up for 2-3 days. Meanwhile, Waste collection has resumed in most parts of the city, where garbage has piled up. At present we have deployed nearly 40 Private and corporate vehicles for waste collection, and have outsourced drivers and workers for the job. At the moment no arrangements are made to collect garbage from homes and apartments, but will be done soon.”.
